How was Noōr Fashion born and who are the people behind it?

Interview with the owners, Emese Balán-Molnár and Péter Balán.

How did you get the idea to start your own clothing brand?

Emese: Even as a little girl, I felt that clothes and I have a special connection. While other girls had the perfect dress for their babies, I didn’t see it that way and preferred to sew them unique pieces myself. My mother taught me how to use a sewing machine very early on, so there was nothing to stop my childish imagination from soaring. Now you might think that this is where the story continues, but it doesn’t. The dreaming was replaced by reality and I became a teacher. It was a wonderful vocation, my life for 20 years, but the thought of ‘what if’ kept me going. Being surrounded by children reminded me every day of who I was and who I wanted to be as a little girl. Later on, this feeling became so intense that one day I went in and, not even knowing what was waiting for me/us, I quit. Now, telling it like this might seem a bit bold, or rather crazy, maybe it was, but my husband and I make a very effective team.

What is a man’s role in building a women’s brand?

Peter: In my life I’ve worked with people and business development, but in a completely different field. With a fresh, crisp electrical engineering degree in my hands, I started in the world of sales, introduced engineers from industrial companies to the potential of new technical solutions, and then spent years building up Mitsubishi Electric’s Hungarian office, learning step by step the beauty and difficulties of building a company. I was very happy that Emese found a new challenge for herself, for us. I’m proud of what she has achieved, what we have achieved together and as a kind of background person, with my experience in building and selling companies in large corporations, I contribute to our success.

What is your goal? What is your brand message?

Emese: From the very beginning, Noōr has been more than just a showroom that is well known to customers. At the heart of our brand is diversity, which is a delight for every woman. Our clothes are artistic tools to express timeless feminine elegance in the most spectacular way. From the very beginning, we have always been passionate about our customers, who can find clothes that make them feel pretty and even more confident, whatever their age, even with the most diverse body types. Noōr women are diverse, confident and creative. We work hard to make sure that people who visit us go home with that feeling. Judit, Krisztina, Betti and Erika are also our style advisors, helping our customers on their journey to find themselves in the world of clothes, taking into account the latest trends.

What do you suggest for those who are afraid of renewal?

Peter: Noōr is now not only a brand, but also a message that our dreams are still coming true. You must have realised that we are not in our late 20s, which confirms the cliché that “it’s never too late”. But not just to talk in the air, we thought we’d give you a greater insight into our daily lives, our difficulties and our successes through our blog, which is a completely new thing in our lives. However, since we are not trying to create a customer-brand relationship, but a small Noor community, maybe we can get even closer to you. I hope that our story might even help someone else to take the plunge. And although the unknown is always more frightening than the familiar, it is also more exciting.

“The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” John Assaraf

Good reading, good looking and good shopping! With love, Emese and Peter